Invisible
by Krizzie
Summary: Mamoru Izawa had blatantly proclaimed himself something he wasn't meant to be.


**Invisible**

**By:** Krizzie

**Summary:** Mamoru Izawa had blatantly proclaimed himself as something he wasn't meant to be.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CT; if I did Mamoru would've received a whole lot more of attention.

**Warning:** Izawacentric, slight angst

"_In one seemingly boring pattern, there's always a small part that breaks the rules."_

"**Stuck in the Ordinary"**

He was late, he knew, but he didn't hurry.

Walking along a cold walkway, Mamoru Izawa unconsciously kicked a small pebble out of the way, his wary eyes following the stone until it slipped off the walk and disappeared amongst the fast-rolling cars. He clutched his bag close to him, walking in long strides towards their practice area. Genzou would be mad, he was sure. But that wasn't anything new anyway.

He turned around at the sight of a familiar face and was met with a sneering Nankatsu player, the captain he believed.

He blinked and tried to move past, but the player blocked him. What was his name again?

"Hey, you there!" he said, loudly. Izawa gave a nod to show he understood, waiting for the kid to let him pass. He wasn't really in the mood to do anything. "You're from Shutetsu, aren't you?"

Was the kid asking for his autograph? It didn't seem likely. Izawa nodded.

The kid smirked and Izawa found himself raising an eyebrow. "Tell your captain that we would beat him at the upcoming festival! We have a new player with us!" Ah… Izawa remembered now. Genzou had spoken about this player once or twice.

A small kid popped out from behind Ishizaki and extended a hand. Izawa shook it. "My name is Ozora Tsubasa, and I would appreciate it if you could tell Genzou Wakabayashi that we, the Nankatsu team, are challenging him to a soccer match." he beamed. "Though I think he already knows."

Izawa almost sneered, this kid was naïve. He looked back at Ishizaki. "Why don't you come with me? I'm going to practice."

Ishizaki smirked. "Why don't I?" he exclaimed cheerfully. Izawa fought the urge to roll his eyes before he went on his way, now with two people tailing him.

"What's your name?" Ishizaki asked, peering at the forward curiously. "Hmm…"

"Izawa." he replied, inching away from the Nankatsu player. "Mamoru Izawa."

"Ah… Genzou's forward." Ishizaki nodded his head in understanding before starting an animated conversation with Tsubasa at the back. Izawa ignored them and began to jog towards the training area.

Genzou was waiting for him, his arms crossed as usual as his eyes began to stare at the forward's ascending figure. "Izawa, you're late!" he exclaimed, glaring at his teammate.

Izawa nodded curtly before presenting him with the other two soccer players. "I'm going to go get changed." he said before disappearing into the locker rooms. Genzou nodded.

--

The locker rooms were empty when I came in. Plopping my bag on a blue bench, I went over to my locker and yanked it open, inwardly cursing the damn school for not getting us new ones despite the bad conditions these metal boxes were in.

I pulled out my extra shoes, since I had left mine at home, and placed them on. I already wore my shorts, because I knew I was already late. I slipped on my shin guards before pulling up my socks.

My reflection at the mirror beside me stared back and I sighed heavily before I slipped off my shirt and wore my jerseys. I went out of the locker room as fast as I could. They smell like hell.

When I came out, Genzou was already furrowing his eyebrows at the little bald guy that had tagged along behind me earlier. Something about him being the school mop of Nankatsu… I tuned it out.

"Izawa-kun!" I smiled and controlled the ball that Teppei had past with my practiced juggling before letting it go up higher than my head then heading it towards Hajime.

"Nice one!" Hajime exclaimed and began to spin around the ball, running past some of our new defenders. Teppei chuckled before he went back to a small net-like bag and pulled out a ball.

"How about we do some passing Izawa?" he suggested as he threw the ball at me.

"No problem." I replied, receiving the ball at my chest before passing it on the short distance between me and Teppei. "One-two!" I proclaimed. Teppei agreed and we began to run past the defenders, passing back and forth with ease.

I could still hear the argument between out captain and Nankatsu's, but it came to my ears muffled so I ignored it completely and focused instead on controlling the ball with my feet. I passed it to Teppei one last time before he kicked it right in front of the goal.

"GOAL!" Hajime yelled. "We got one on you Shingo!"

Our teammate huffed before he moves himself in a ready stance one more. "You ain't going to be lucky next time."

That was when the coach blew his whistle, and that was when I finally realized that the Tsubasa guy and his captain had left. Genzou was standing there, out coach resting on one of the bench. We sat down in a circle, with me between Teppei and Shingo.

"Okay guys, those morons had challenged us for a game, during the festivals. Actually, Ozora had already challenged me some time ago. Now, I just want to ask for your opinion." he looked at us, the sun making sweat bead down his forehead.

Teppei pumped his hand in the air. "I say we thrash them!"

"YEAH!"

--

"TSUBASA!"

After that game with Nankatsu, with us losing, Genzou had humbled down, and we were chosen to play for the city of Nankatsu, even succeeding in winning most of the games we played.

I feel proud, to be playing alongside with Tsubasa, now paired up with Taro Misaki and pronounced as the 'dynamic duo'. I couldn't say the title doesn't suit them though, they were great players and together, they just made soccer a more… mesmerizing game.

Playing with Tsubasa had been a good experience and a lot more so when we had him as our captain. Even Genzou had supported the idea, and we were surprised to find no resentment in him when he handed over the band to the guy.

Tsubasa made us a great team. With him on attack, Taro right behind him, and Genzou on the defense, we seemed to be the perfect soccer team.

But that was when I realized that I was shadowed down.

--

Of course, that dream hadn't last long. Taro went to France and Genzou went to Germany. After that, the whole team aspired to become better, so that we could show them that we could still win the championships even without two of our best players.

We did it too, we succeeded, and we brought home the flag. I was proud, really proud and so was the rest of my team.

That was when I noticed that Tsubasa was getting all the attention.

--

That was a couple of years ago. And now, we're all playing for the Japan Team. I was surprised to even be chosen, seeing as I didn't even stand out at our games. It was always Tsubasa and even Ishizaki had overpowered me.

It wasn't humiliating. But it was frustrating… but I'm still glad that I was able to qualify for the Japan Team.

We fought with amazing players, and I found myself being hidden away more. In addition to Genzou, Tsubasa and Taro, Hyuga, Matsuyama, Wakashimazu and a few more other players proved themselves more skillful than I am.

That was when I realized that I was invisible.

My name was said quite a few times, but never in line with the others. I was almost always forgotten and during games, you wouldn't hear my name being echoed anywhere. It was like I was just there for display, and what was more depressing that that was that I was a display that was deliberately ignored.

Like a child's work hidden among flamboyant Da Vinci's.

Like an amateur's performance squeezed between professionals.

Like juvenile actors blended with the experienced.

I knew that, and still I played on, watching them from the sidelines as they cheered, shouting names that weren't mine and ignoring my own that was splayed on the forward's side of the screen.

I didn't cry. That wasn't like me. And it was foolish. Who would cry about being not great enough to catch up with a bunch of soccer superstars? Ishizaki sure didn't and I think I ought to do the same.

It was like a play, I told myself. They were the main roles, and I play a minor one. It was necessary. We couldn't all be geniuses, could we? And if some people were destined to be great, some people were destined to stand back and admire them from the audience.

I'm invisible. I know that now, I'm only a part of those that stand amongst the shadows as the light scatters along the stage. And invisible I shall remain; until the day comes that the spotlight shines right above me.

Until then, I would wait behind the curtains.

**Krizzie:** I know I know, what the hell am I doing writing a useless one-shot when I've got two stories on hold? Sorry, but I was having a minor writer's block and I wrote this down to take my mind off things. Bear with me for now and please review! Ja ne!


End file.
